The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-09-06
LONDON POLICEMEN.
Their Duties, Skill and Compensation
The Prevention of Crime.

Tnelr Dut16S,Sk1 ana compensation
The Prevention of Crime.
In force of Il, 900 or $4,000 men, says a
London letter to the Philadelphia Press,
there are naturally good many. scamps.
Some accept brides. no doubt, from women
of the town, others drink from publicans,
and yet others cold meat and kisses from
pretty cooks: but as rule the London
policemen seem to me-and l have walked
the streets of the metropolis for nearly four
months-a very creditable lot of fellows
who try to fill difficult position with as
little friction as possible. The idea pervad-
ing the metropolitan police force, and it is a
good one, is that il is better to prevent
crime than to run up the columns of arrests.
Oyer-officiousness on the part of the police
is not tolerated. The police in London dare
not use the club and knock people about
with the freedom prevailing in some of the
large American cities. 4
In the last ten years $4,000 persons, de-
scribed as prostitutes, were apprehended in
London. This shows how extensively the
police deal with this class, and it is perhaps
surprising that more mistakes are not made
Then comes the army of drunkards, rs, 900
strong, and some years 81, 900. They have
to be run into the station house at night and
run out the next morning by their friends.
Curiously enough, there are in London
about as many licensed houses for the sale
of Intoxicating drinks as there are police
men, namely IA go. 1t does not always fol-
low that the arrests for drunkenness are
highest where public houses are most numer-
Gus. The division of Whitechapel heads
the gloomy list, and boasts nearly
$500 annual arrests for drunkenness and
that of Holborn follows. Yet Holborn has
ST. licenses and Whitechapel 795. On the
other hand, the al1stocratic division of Ken
sington has no less than 1852 licenses and
less than 1900 arrests. 1t may be that Bill
Sykes of Whitechapel is more noisy in his
cups than Lord Sniffenrake Of Kensington,
or it may be that Bill is ''Tlin in" at stage
when my lord" is helped home This may
be the explanation. The fact, however,
remains that with nearly double the number
of licenses Kensington has 1000 less arrests
for drunkenness per annum than White
chapel.
And now word about the pay of the
London police force. The actual pay of the
police comes to a little over 5000, 900 a
year. There are five chief constables, with
salaries commencing at $1,000 and rising
Sl25 a year TO $4,000. There are twenty
eight superintendents with salaries and al
lowances varying from 81 $50 to 81, 375
year: then come $50 inspectors, whose pay
varies from $40 to 81 ,755. There is only
one at the highest rate, but twenty eight
have over 81, 900 a year each, and 5S2
have between $500 and $1,000 year.
The sergeants number l,162, eight of
whom have more than $3.50 a year; Pig have
more than 500, and all the rest from $445
to $495 year. OF the II 1884 plain constables,
the highest pay received by 80 of them is
Sll7, and the lowest given TO 3,0l9 is $3l3.
There are allowances for coal; the inspect
ors, sergeants and constables are supplied
with clothing, and the police employed on
special duty receive allowances varying
from Soc to 81 a week, the greater portion
of which is paid by those who employ them.
There are also 20 inspectors, l03 sergeants
and 900 constables attached to the reserve
force who receive n weekly allowance OF 81,
15c and SIC. respectively. Thus, ON any
emergency, an additional 1000 men can be
called into the field The total cost Of the
metropolitan police for last year was
$S,46l. 020.